A NATIONAL arts organisation is looking back at the stories it has helped to tell in Bradford following the successful 2025 City of Culture bid.
V21 Artspace produced several 3D Virtual Exhibition Tours for the Impressions Gallery from 2020 onwards, all of which are available to view online at v21artspace.com/news/bradford-2025.
The first of these was Seedscapes: Future-Proofing Nature, which ran from September to December 2020 and explored biodiversity and the environment, bringing together five contemporary artists who looked at global efforts to safeguard vital plant species from extinction.
This was followed by Carolyn Mendelsohn: Being Inbetween, which ran from January to April 2021.
Made over a six-year period, Being Inbetween was a series of powerful photographic portraits of girls aged between ten and 12, exploring the transition between childhood and young adulthood.
In Which Language Do We Dream, exhibited between August and November 2021, was another instalment, and shared the stories of Syrian refugees through photography.
It included family photos rescued from Syria, as well as contemporary photographs by Rich Wiles, new work by the al-Hindawi family - in particular Ruba al-Hindawi - as well as a specially commissioned film featuring WhatsApp photos sent by their extended family members and shared across national boundaries.
This exhibition was followed by Through Our Lens: Growing up with Covid-19, which began in January 2022 and ended in March.
It featured a series of poignant photographs taken by young people in Bradford, who worked in collaboration with award-winning artist Carolyn Mendelsohn to tell the stories of the ‘Covid generation’ – young people who grew up in the pandemic.
Joe Clark, co-founder of V21 Artspace, said: “We are delighted to have built this incredible partnership with the Impressions Gallery which has allowed us to showcase an intriguing aspect of Bradford to our global audience from over 135 different countries, further pushing Bradford as an international name.”
Claire Cutts, co-founder of the 3D Virtual Exhibition production and publishing company, added: “Our partnership started with the organisation when they needed to bring visitors to the gallery virtually, when they weren’t able to visit in person throughout the pandemic, which in my opinion displays the progressivism of individuals and organisations in Bradford, in how quickly they can creatively adapt to changes.
“This is why we both feel that this award [the City of Culture title] is extremely well deserved for the city.”
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